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In Buenos Aires, from a tiny man-made island that once held a landfill, may rise an unprecedented ‘vertical zoo’ – like a skyscraper for animals that must be at once beautiful, organic and functional for both its inhabitants and zoo visitors. A competition for the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve is sought creative solutions and this proposal, called ‘ECO-CLIFF’ , is a towering habitat meant to resemble a natural cliff that would also provide nesting ground for migratory birds. It may seem highly unnatural to house wildlife in such an urban structure, reaching high into the sky rather than spreading out onto acre after acre of land. What ECO-CLIFF aims to do is recreate a cliff habitat for the types of animals that would naturally be living in such an environment. However, it’s not clear whether the designers also intended for common zoo animals with a need for a large amount of space to be housed in this design. Envisioned by Hila Davidpu, Tal Gazit, Eli Gotman and Hofi

The earth is pocked with giant pits like scars, left behind by mining operations that take what they seek from the land and then leave the site in ruin. But what if we could use those gaping holes as the basis of new underground cities ? ‘Above Below’, a proposal for the 2011 eVolo Skyscraper Competition , gives one such mining pit a new life with a bustling underground skyscraper where a self-sufficient community can live, farm, work and play. This unusual inverted skyscraper design, by Matthew Fromboluti of Washington University in St. Louis, was created specifically for the massive Lavender Pit Mine outside of Bisbee, Arizona, which measures an astonishing 900 feet deep and 300 acres wide. Built around a ‘solar chimney’ that provides light and ventilation to the deepest reaches of the structure, ‘Above Below’ would be virtually undetectable on the surface, with a dome roof covered in native vegetation. The underground tower is entirely self-sustaining, with its own

Faceted like an irregular crystal, this building in Bilbao, Spain wasn’t simply born of some stroke of artistic inspiration. The amorphous towering facade came about because the city’s restrictive zoning rules required a setback from the curb as well as other concessions. Coll-Barreu Architects took those restrictions and ran with them, producing an unexpected structure that not only serves as a focal point on the street, but is energy-efficient as well. The striking glass skin is actually disguising a rather pedestrian health department building, but while some architecture enthusiasts may bemoan the lost opportunity for an interesting modern interior, the ‘double facade’ lets in lots of natural light and allows for natural temperature regulation, decreasing energy needs. The inner structure shines through at night like a skeleton. “The double façade solves not only urban requirements but also those concerning energetic, fire-resistant and acoustic insulation from

Is living furniture the next frontier in ultra-eco-friendly design? Oxygenating the air, providing a punch of green and acting as a natural accent in both interior and exterior spaces, these 13 unusual furniture designs incorporate actively growing moss, grass, vines, mushrooms and even crystals. Growing Chair by Michel Bussien (image via: yanko design ) Raised on a growing platform like an elvish throne, Michel Bussien’s ‘Growing Chair’ helps us get back to our roots with a clear polycarbonate frame that is filled with greenery as the plant inside grows. The artist says “To move further we need to incorporate the living matter that surrounds us. Let us use the complexity of living nature and include it in our creations. These creations will then redefine the way we reconstruct nature.” Moss Bath Mat (image via: dornob ) All that water that drips off your body when you emerge from the shower could be feeding live moss, which is just squishy enough to provide a sup

They’re beautiful and sinister, jutting up out of the landscape with a deceptive peace when inactive, but hiding the threat of death and destruction just beneath the surface. Perhaps it’s that element of danger that makes architects and artists hot for volcano-inspired architecture, giving that distinct sloping form to stadiums, power plants, resorts and enormous self-contained cities all over the world. Blue Volcano Concept, Zagreb, Croatia (images via: arch daily ) It’s easy to see why the njiric + arhiteki’s design for this civic arena, housed in an artificial hill made from rubber and paint sprayed onto sheets of corrugated aluminum, has been nicknamed ‘blue volcano’. Conceived for the city of Zagreb in Croatia, the design even features a solar-power-harvesting ‘cloud’ that floats above it, displaying game scores and other information. The cloud also protects the stadium from rain and snow, eliminating the need for a dome. Taichung Convention Center (images via:

Art out of recycled materials is both great for the environment, and an interesting artistic challenge. Animal themed art is inherently interesting because of its unique reflection of the mundane world we see every day. Strong artistic ability and skill allows some creators to come up with larger than life versions of their real world counterparts, or stunning reproductions and interpretations of the smallest critters that grace our planet. (Images via quazen , greenopia , ecofriend ) These horse sculptures are jarring at first, until one realizes they are fashioned carefully out of curved pieces of wood. The difficulty of using this material, and the accurate reproduction make these stunning examples of natural art. (Images via redbubble , keetsa , webdesignerdepot , foundshit , greenopolis ) Flying creatures made out of discarded scrap metal are visually stunning, but unfortunately unable to fly like the creatures they represent (in the case of the flying pig, this

When you’re in search of a romantic honeymoon spot or comfortable lodging after a long day of travel, sewage pipes, harbor cranes and the county jail probably aren’t at the top of your list. But believe it or not, such structures have been transformed into fun, quirky and sometimes stunning hotels. From a former research lab at the bottom of the sea to a Boeing 727, these unusual recycled and upcycled hotels offer up one-of-a-kind accomodations. Boston’s Liberty Hotel in a Former Jail (images via: libertyhotel.com ) Prison inmates once wasted their lives away in these rooms. Today, affluent travelers pay top dollar to occupy them. The Liberty Hotel in Boston was converted from the historic Charles Street Jail in a stunning $150 million restoration that preserved vestiges of the jail cells within common areas like the lobby and the appropriately named ‘Clink’ bar and restaurant. Controversy Inn: Reclaimed Trams (images via: inhabitat ) How fun is this colorful Neth